geologist shot dead in Ethiopia

British geologist shot dead in Ethiopia

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Reuters) - Gunmen in Ethiopia have
killed a British geologist working for state-run Malaysian
energy firm Petronas and two soldiers protecting him, an
Ethiopian government spokesman said on Friday.

The Briton died in the shooting on Monday near Danot town
in the Warder zone of eastern Ethiopia, the British Embassy in
 Addis Ababa said.

"Bandits ambushed a vehicle and shot and killed Englishman
... Jason Reid, and two army servicemen," government spokesman
Shimeles Kemal told Reuters. "They were not rebels. They
were mere bandits."


However, rebel groups have fought since the 1960s for independence for the
region, which is populated by ethnic Somalis and borders Somalia. Foreign
firms have been eyeing potential oil and gas deposits in the Somali region,
despite threats from the separatist rebels.

British embassy spokesman Gavin Cook said that Reid, aged 39, was from the
southern English town of Portsmouth. He was an employee of British firm IMC
Geophysics International.

Ethiopia has not yet discovered oil or gas but companies including Petronas
and Vancouver-based Africa Oil Corp are prospecting in its deserts, pointing
to oil fields in neighbouring countries.

The Ethiopian government also said on Friday that an Islamist rebel group,
the United Western Somali Liberation Front the Somali region had
surrendered. It had warned oil and gas firms not to explore in the area.


"THEFT UNLIKELY"





Another rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which

routinely warns foreign oil and gas firms away from Ethiopia, denied

responsibility for the Briton's death.





"We are not involved in that assassination and we are sorry about the

incident," a British-based spokesman, Abdurahmin Mohammed Mahdi, told

Reuters. "We have ordered our military not to attack expatriate oil workers

for now."





Several aid workers in the region, who did not want to be named, told

Reuters they doubted theft had been the motive for the attack. "They didn't

seek to steal anything," one senior foreign aid official said. "They simply

opened fire with AK-47s and riddled the car."





In 2007 the ONLF attacked an oilfield run by Sinopec, Asia's biggest refiner

and China's second largest oil and gas producer. Sinopec pulled out of the

region where most of Ethiopia's oil and gas exploration activities have

centred.





Ethiopia calls the ONLF a terrorist group, which it says is supported by

rival Eritrea. The ONLF routinely accuses government forces of rights

abuses. (Editing by George Obulutsa and David Stamp)





C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved













Ethiopia says rebels threatening oil firms surrender







Fri Apr 9, 2010 3:12pm GMT











* Rebel group to disarm, form political party





* Another rebel group still threatens oil firms





By Barry Malone





ADDIS ABABA, April 9 (Reuters) - An Islamist rebel group which had

threatened to attack oil and gas firms exploring a potentially mineral-rich

region of Ethiopia has surrendered, the government said on Friday.





The United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF) had been fighting since

the 1960s for independence for Ethiopia's Somali region -- which includes

the Ogaden and accounts for one-fifth of the country's landmass --

government head of information Bereket Simon told reporters.





"After discussing with the government, the leaders of the organisation in

totality have accepted to abide by the constitution of Ethiopia and desist

from any armed practice," Bereket said. The rebels would now disarm and form

a political party, he added.





The UWSLF and another rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front

(ONLF), want independence for the region which borders Somalia, and had

warned oil and gas firms not to explore there.





Foreign firms, including Malaysia's Petronas and Vancouver-based Africa Oil

Corporation, are prospecting in the area.





The separatist cause has been fuelled by widespread resentment at the

region's low level of development. Until Chinese engineers arrived in 2007,

the entire region had only 30 km (20 miles) of tarmac road.





Bereket said the rebels had decided to surrender at the urging of locals who

felt the insurgency was hampering government efforts to develop the region.





"They pursued a mistaken path, now they are desisting. We will respect their

right to engage in peaceful, legal politics," Bereket added.





In 2007 the ONLF attacked an oilfield run by Sinopec, Asia's biggest refiner

and China's second largest oil and gas producer, killing 74 people. Sinopec

then pulled out of the region.





Most of Ethiopia's oil and gas exploration activities have centred on the

vast desert province.





Ethiopia calls the ONLF a terrorist group, which it says is supported by

rival and neighbour Eritrea. The ONLF routinely accuses government forces of

human rights abuses.





Cash-strapped Ethiopia is keen to attract foreign investors and says the

ONLF have been weakened since the 2007 attack. (Editing by George Obulutsa

and Elizabeth Fullerton)